Need help removing old Java files

Hello to all. I’m a non-geek new to MajorGeeks, running Windows XP Home Edition with Service Pack 3.

I joined today expressly to find an answer to my main problem: I need to get rid of old Java files, but I’m either too ignorant of which files need to be tossed or too timid to touch them, fearing I’ll throw out something my system needs.

I did read chaslang’s post on Updating Sun Java, at http://forums.majorgeeks.com/showthread.php?t=149858

Unfortunately, I acted too fast when I clicked on the link Java VM, and I went ahead and downloaded and installed Java 6.24 – before reading that I should download it but not install it. I hope my having installed it will not screw things up.

Anyway, I started following the directions to uninstall all old versions, and immediately hit a snag: The Add/Remove Programs feature in my Control Panel shows only a single entry for Java: Java 6 Update 24 (the program I just installed a few hours ago).

On the other hand, if I do a Search for Java in “All Files and Folders” I come up with 84 files. Some say “Java 2 Runtime Environment,” some say “Java scripts,” some say simply “javaw” or “javaws” or “adcjavas.” Others say “JavaScriptCoredll” or similar. There’s a whole bunch of files that start with “QTJava” and when I try to open them I get a box saying Windows cannot open the file.

So on and so forth. And for some reason, the list includes a range of innocuous Word documents that I wouldn’t think have anything to do with Java – files with titles like “Socializing kittens” and “Second hand shops,” etc. (Could it be that they have the word “Java” listed somewhere in the document?)

Can anyone help me determine which of these I can get rid of? And can someone tell me why none of these show up in Add/Remove Programs?

I styled my screen name as “Hope Abandoned,” but I guess if that were really true I wouldn’t be posting here at all, right? So, yes, I'm hoping -- that someone has an answer to the riddle.

Thanks to all.

 

OK, Tim, thank you. I tried the JavaRa tool and it did create a removal log of about 50 or more files. But then when I did a new search of "All Files and Folders," the search came up with 93 files, nine more than I had to begin with. I'm sure the extras come from the JavaRa tool -- but I still have all those files I mentioned before, like QTJava, etc. Any idea what these might be?

Hope

 

Oh. Wow! Well, thank you very much. If only everything were so easy.

Tim, do you have any idea why none of those files showed up in the Add/Remove Files section of the Control Panel??

Thanks again, muchly. I really appreciate it.

Hope

 

Well, that explains a major mystery. Thank you again! :-D

Hope

 

Ok I have the microsoft jscript compilation error showing up on restarts. If i use this program to remove my java files what will happen to my computer stability? Will this make anything crash on me? Then after I remove 110 files that was in my search files and folders do I just go and reinstall the Java version 6 29 for that is what I have in the add/remove file now.

Thank you

 

Hi Grunnie,

It's better if you start your own topic - people are more likely to notice and help.

Yes, you can use that program. Your computer should remain stable and nothing should crash. Don't delete files, let the program do that if it wants to.

After that, install the latest version of Java.

If you still have problems after that, start your own topic.